The First Week. By Bella, Will And Hamish

It only took us 5 hours to pack the car. Hamish felt sick before we left the house. Four hours and two vomits later (one only 20 minutes after we left home) we arrived at Yamstick Farm.

Yamstick Farm is an amazing organic farm just south of Bellingen. They grow finger limes, cocoa beans, pecans and they have chickens that lay 2800 eggs a week!

Our friend Dave's father, Joe, and brother Dan, run the farm. They have to collect and clean all the eggs by hand.

                                 Will and Joe letting the chickens out for their fun in the sun.

Bella and Hamish helping Dave collect the eggs.

 

 

We went for a drive along a brand new, wet, sludgy, muddy fire trail where Bella had 3 leeches try to latch on. On the way back the rain started pouring down on us and we got soaked. We were riding in the back of the ute and it started to slide sideways down the slippery hill. It was awesome and exciting and just a little bit scary.

 

Later, Will vomited all over the floor and Bella felt like doing the same but didn't.

 

The next morning, after we collected some finger limes and pecans, we headed off for Bellingen the scenic way.  Hamish nearly vomited again.

 

We had a quick catch up with some friends at the Purple Carrot Café.  Then we drove onto Grafton to stay with our cousins Max and Zoe. Hamish discovered that he had tick on his shoulder.

 

We headed off after a fun but short stay the next afternoon. We drove the looooong way to a campsite in the Border Ranges National Park because our GPS must have decided that we needed to see the entire National Park in one go. It was strikingly beautiful fortunately. Of course, Hamish vomited only 500m from our muddy campsite.  It was pretty cold but luckily we got to light a fire!

 

By 9.30am the next day we were having a yummy morning tea at the bakery in Kyogle.

 

Our next stop was Lamington National Park.  The road up the hill was super duper windy. But Hamish did not vomit for a change. Yippee!

 

Another set of cousins, Jasmine, Bianca, Dane and Elke met us there and we ate lamingtons for dessert in Lamington NP. We chased bush turkeys and paddy melons around the campsite. At lunchtime, beautiful rosellas landed on Will and Bella's arms because they were trying to steal our lunch.

 

 

We all walked to Moron Falls. Or so Bella first thought.  Actually it was called Moran Falls.

 

Looking at Moran Falls, Lamington NP





 

Then we went to our cousins' house on the Gold Coast. They took us fishing at Currumbin Creek. 

 

Bella and Elke caught the first fish of the day at the same time and got their lines caught up. Will managed to catch a fish too but Hamish was out of luck.  He expects to catch the big one next time.

 

Fishing at Currumbin Creek

Will's catch of the day











 Bella wonders if she will get a prince?

 

We left our Gold Coast cousins behind and headed for Australia Zoo. Stay tuned for the next instalment.